


You're Not Cupid, You're Just a Big Man in a Suit of Armor

by ChElFi



Series: Fallout [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempt at Humor, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluffy Ending, Humor, Humorous Ending, Kinda Fluffy, Light Angst, POV Tony Stark, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Some Humor, Tony plays cupid, Weddings, kinda angsty, kinda funny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-22
Updated: 2015-09-22
Packaged: 2018-04-22 17:59:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4845053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChElFi/pseuds/ChElFi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Who says Cupid needs arrows? Well, Clint would, but that's beside the point.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You're Not Cupid, You're Just a Big Man in a Suit of Armor

**Author's Note:**

> Don't expect this to always happen (though this is the second time in as many weeks it has), but Wistful_whimsicality asked for an update on this series and I had this part nearly finished. So, I've spit-shined it and hopefully this turned out well. I am struggling with the rest of the series. I have rewritten bits and pieces but just can't pull it all together (for those of you who don't obsessively follow my life, I had an incident last October where I lost almost every story I had on my computer).
> 
> This story if from Tony's POV, and ended up being a lot of me dealing with what I don't like about the Pepporony ship and giving it a bit of a fix. I have a long treatise on this, but it's better in story form. :D
> 
> Also, I have no stinking idea what Steve's and Sharon's shipping name is so for the sake of this story, I made something up. This is by no means a shipping bash. If I want to bash a ship, I'll do it on tumblr, not write a story about it. Stories are too important. :) 
> 
> Let's see, what else? Not AOU compliant because I started it after TWS. This is about one-and-a-half years after TWS.

"What am I doing keeping you?" Tony exclaimed, suddenly noting the time.

Maria looked up at him from her StarkPad and cocked a cool eyebrow at him.

"Keeping me from what?" Maria asked.

"You need to get dressed for the dinner," he told her.

"What dinner?" Maria shook her head in question.

Tony glared at her. It was unusual for her to mess with him like this.

"The rehearsal dinner," he prompted, a little aggravated.

"Why would I go to the rehearsal dinner?" she asked, and now she looked slightly confused.

"Wilson told me he finally asked the girl out he'd been chasing after for a while."

Tony’s voice trailed off as he realized he'd misinterpreted Sam's words.

"Oooh." He hummed slowly.

Maria was giving him her famous look of disinterest which Tony had been studying for a year for subtleties. This particular version held some elements of sorrow or regret, and Tony understood.

"You're making a mistake," he told her.

Maria reacted as she always did when he tried to play cupid for her. She stood abruptly and left the office without a word.

Tony stared after her for a moment before he picked up his phone to make a call.

* * *

“I swear I will not make it through tonight or Saturday without a whole lot more to drink,” Tony grumbled as he leaned into Pepper.

His girlfriend turned to him and shushed him in admonishment.

“Be good, Tony,” she said. “This isn’t your wedding.”

“Bitter about that?” he asked, not for the first time since Steve and Sharon had announced their engagement seven months earlier.

Pepper only rolled her eyes.

“Good.” Tony grimaced. “I was just checking.”

Tony took another drink of wine and wished he was still at the bar. Between Wilson’s date and Barnes’ date, he needed something to numb the pain of stupidity.

“If either of them giggles again, I’m gonna...” Tony groused to Pepper, not exactly quietly.

“Tony,” Pepper cut him off sharply.

“Can we just cut out early then?” Tony whined.

Pepper leveled one of her “stop now, or else” looks and Tony sank down further into his seat and began to fantasize how much better this would have been if Sam had just asked Maria.

Not that she would have accepted, Tony sighed internally.

An elbow in his ribs told Tony he hadn’t kept his sigh as internal as he thought. But it was so painful to watch. He was just glad Steve, at least, had decent taste in women. The airheads Sam and Bucky always seemed interested in were grating and Tony was pretty certain he lost several IQ points just from breathing the same air.

If Maria had been here, he thought.

“Shh,” Pepper said. “She’s not here.”

Tony began to think he must have had more to drink than he’d thought if he was saying aloud everything he thought he was keeping in his head.

He turned to Pepper who appeared to barely be tolerating him.

“That’s it,” he announced to her. “I’m leaving.”

With that he rose and walked over to Steve and Sharon to say goodnight. When he walked back to Pepper, she was getting her purse and saying her goodnights as well.

“You don’t have to leave just because I am,” he told her.

She ignored him completely and walked ahead of him to the door.

Happy was waiting near the car and Pepper walked quickly ahead of him. Tony groaned, knowing exactly how this was going to end. Once inside the back of the car Pepper sat as far away from Tony as she could. Her body language letting him know exactly how mad she was.

“Pep,” he tried.

“Don’t even,” Pepper snapped.

He sighed, then waited a few more minutes before he broached the subject again.

“You have to understand,” he pleaded.

“What is there to understand, Tony?” she asked. “How can you possibly explain needing all the attention on you all the time?”

Tony opened his mouth in surprise.

“That’s not..” he started.

“Of course it is,” she interrupted. “It always is.”

“Why would you say that?” he asked.

Pepper turned and gave him a look that dripped sarcasm.

“OK, I can see why you’d say that,” he admitted. “But it wasn’t this time, you have to believe me.”

“Then what on earth could have possessed you to be so rude to Steve by complaining about his guests?” she asked. “This is _his_ wedding. If you want the attention in that sort of situation, you should get married.”

Tony gaped at her again.

“I thought you said..” he began, but she cut him off again.

“This has nothing to do with what I want,” she said.

“So you do want to get married,” he stated.

“I never said that,” she replied.

“Then what are we arguing about?” he asked.

“Your incessant need to be the center of attention,” she groaned.

“That’s not what it was,” he insisted. “If you’d just let me explain.”

“How can you explain this level of rude behavior?” Pepper cut him off again.

Tony sighed loudly.

“If you’d stop cutting me off, I might be able to do so,” he retorted.

“Fine,” she huffed.

He waited for her to say more but she just waved her hand at him expectantly.

“OK,” he proceeded. “Sam should have invited...”

“If you say 'Maria' I’m going to have Happy stop the car at the Plaza and I’m not going home with you,” she threatened.

Tony opened his mouth to reply, but shut it tightly. He crossed his arms and sank into the seat.

“Oh, you are being such a baby about this,” she quipped. “You’re worse than a shipper.”

“A what?” he asked.

“A shipper, a person who promotes the relationship of a couple, either fictional, or not,” she explained.

“Oh, yeah,” he said.

They were quiet for a little while as Tony sulked and tried to figure out a way to make the wedding more bearable without blowing anything up. After a moment, though, Pepper began to chuckle. Tony glanced over and saw her trying to stifle her laughter.

“What?” he asked hesitantly.

She only shook her head and tried to keep herself from laughing.

“Do I have booger hanging out of my nose?” he asked seriously. “I do, don’t I? And I probably have all night.”

He pulled a tissue out of the compartment in front of him and wiped his nose. By now Pepper was laughing loudly and shaking her head.

“What?” he asked.

She still couldn’t answer and, shortly, her laughter became contagious and Tony hoped he wasn’t laughing at something he’d get in trouble for later.

Finally, she calmed down enough to start to catch her breath.

“Pepperony,” she exclaimed, as she gasped for air.

“What?” Tony asked. “You want pizza? What’s so funny about that?”

But he still laughed.

“No.” She shook her head. “That’s our shipping name.”

“Oh, yeah,” he replied. “I’ve heard that.”

“It’s so stupid,” she commented, her laughter finally subsiding.

“It is not,” he insisted. “I love it. I think it’s very creative. Better than say, Staron.”

“Who’s Staron?” Pepper asked.

“Steve and Sharon,” he said.

Pepper laughed at that.

“Yeah, I guess 'Pepperony' is better than that,” she said.

Tony thought for a moment before he spoke again.

“I wonder what Maria and Sam would be?” he asked quietly.

“Tony,” Pepper said with sympathy in her voice. “I know you think the two of them should be together. And I think it’s really sweet the way you care so much for Maria. But she’s made her decision. She’s an adult.”

“Hillson,” Tony said, interrupting Pepper.

“What?”

“Hillson,” he said. “That’s Maria’s and Sam’s shipping name.”

He turned and smiled at her.

“It’s not nearly as cool as Pepperony, but it’s way better than Staron,” he said.

“Well, whatever you do, make sure Maria never hears about it,” Pepper admonished. “She puts up with a lot from you but I think that you trying to set her up with Sam hurts a bit.”

“It wouldn’t hurt at all if she’d just go out on a date with him,” he groused, then returned to his sulking position.

“OK,” she said. “I can’t take it anymore.”

For a moment, Tony feared she was going to buzz Happy to tell him to take her to the Plaza, but she turned to him instead.

“Why is this so important to you?” she asked. “Why does Maria have to be with Sam, or, honestly, anyone to be happy?”

Tony looked over at her and shrugged.

“You really like her, don’t you?” Pepper said.

“Well, she is the only interesting person who ever worked at SHIELD,” he grumbled.

“That’s just because she understood the physics conversation you were trying to impress everyone else with,” Pepper said with a smile.

“That’s part of it,” he said. “But she’s someone who.”

He stopped, trying to find the right words.

Sighing, he scooted himself over to Pepper and took her hand in his.

“You know, before I was Ironman,” he said. “I never really thought much about you. I just figured you were a good employee and someone who understood me and tolerated me.”

He lifted her hand to his lips and placed a kiss then he set it back down and traced the line of her jaw with his other hand. She really was the most beautiful woman, he thought. He started to get distracted as his hormones began to react to her proximity so he hurried on.

“After I became Ironman, I didn’t think I deserved you,” he said. “I had such a terrible past, but there was just something amazing, something better, about you, that made me want half a chance with you.”

She smiled and Tony saw tears come to her eyes as she listened to his words. He realized he didn’t say things like this to her often enough. He was going to have to rectify that.

“I never thought I needed anyone before, but once I realized I did, you were there, and it was perfect,” he said.

Pepper gave a little gasp of surprise and Tony resolved to make sure he sent her flowers with poetry written on the card tomorrow. Better yet, a flower garden with the flowers planted in the shape of the words, an entire poetry garden.

He smiled at the thought and leaned in to place a kiss on her lips.

“I just want Maria to be as happy as I am,” he said.

“Tony, that’s so sweet,” Pepper said then touched his face and kissed him.

“Don’t act so surprised,” he said, but there was a smile on his face. “I can be sweet and nice when I want to be.”

“Yes, you can,” she said.

He pressed his lips to hers and deepened the kiss quickly. He did so like making up.

“Tony,” Pepper said pulling away from his now passionate embrace. “We’re in the car.”

He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

“I’ll just have Happy drive us around for a while,” he told her.

She gave him her “over my dead body” look, and Tony grumbled about never being able to have any fun.

But it was still very fun later at the Tower.

* * *

Tony groaned and rolled his eyes as he walked into the side room at the church. The other groomsmen were there, as expected, but so was Sam’s “girlfriend.” Tony glared at Sam then walked over to where Steve was reading his vows from a piece of paper.

“You know, you slapped out that “hoo-ra” speech at the Triskelion in record time, I don’t see why you have to fret so much over this,” he said.

Steve sighed.

“Tony, do you mind? You’re distracting me,” the super-soldier complained.

“ _I’m_ distracting you?” Tony was affronted. “What about Googly-bear and Smoochie-poo over there? That’s both distracting _and_ nauseating.”

Sam finally took the hint and led the woman to the door. She giggled once more before she left and Tony was sure he’d lose his lunch.

“Doesn’t your date have money?” Tony asked.

Sam looked at him in confusion.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.

“She couldn’t afford more than a bath towel to wear to a wedding?” Tony quipped.

Sam sighed and shook his head. He turned back to the mirror to check his tie again and Tony smiled to himself.

Sam wasn’t too upset about Tony insulting his girlfriend, which meant that Sam probably didn’t even like the woman himself, which meant that Tony’s plan had half a chance of working.

Bucky came in to let Steve know the bride was ready and they needed to go to the front of the church.

“Right,” Steve said, but he looked more nervous than Tony had ever seen him.

“Don’t worry about it,” Tony said. “I doubt she’ll leave you at the altar because you forget your lines.”

Steve only nodded, but he didn’t seem comforted by Tony’s words.

The wedding went off without a hitch, which Tony thought was impressive since as soon as Steve got a look at his bride, his brain seemed to have short-circuited.

“The guy’s a genius,” he told Pepper later as they made their way to the reception after the photos. “But he sure gets goofy around a girl.”

“That’s just because he’s a little excited to be finally getting married, to be finally getting his happy ending of sorts,” she explained.

And it was true, Tony figured. Steve probably had never expected to get married, and definitely never expected to have his best friend at his side for the wedding, when he’d awoke from the ice all those years ago.

The reception was worse than Tony’s nightmare’s had made them out to be. He had to sit next to Wilson’s girlfriend due to his position in the wedding party. Pepper had admonished him to be grateful he was in the party at all. Tony replied that he wished he had been one of the bride’s maids since they all seemed to be fairly intelligent.

He had been keeping an eye on Hill since the wedding. She hadn’t replied with a plus one and, true to form, she’d shown up alone. That bothered Tony more than was probably healthy, but he just couldn’t stand this. Sam was perfect for her; she knew it, he knew it, Sam must have suspected it once, but nothing was ever going to happen waiting for Maria to come to her senses. No, this required a little push.

The dinner was finished and they were going to start some dancing before they had cake. Tony made his way over to the men’s room so he could slip his receiver into his ear.

When he’d talked to Sam earlier at the church, he’d managed to attach a very small listening device onto the shoulder of his suit, a bit under the lapel. He didn’t assume Sam’s ditsy girlfriend would notice.

He walked back out and joined Pepper as they watched the dollar dance. Tony didn’t miss the fact that somehow, maybe because she was solo tonight, Maria had ended up dancing with Steve at the same time Sam was dancing with Sharon.

Tony smiled when, after the usual declarations of the bride’s beauty and happiness, Sharon got down to business.

“So, when is it your turn?” she asked Sam.

Sam chuckled.

“Probably not for a long time,” he told her. “I haven’t really found the right girl.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear you say that,” Sharon smiled. “That girl you brought tonight is definitely not your type.”

Sam was quiet.

“She’s more Bucky’s type?” Sharon guessed.

“Um, yeah,” Sam mumbled.

“Did he set you two up?” Sharon asked, then laughed.

“Oh, my goodness,” she exclaimed. “He used to do that to Steve all the time when they were younger. Same type of girl, too.”

Sam laughed.

“I think maybe my husband might be dancing with someone who is more your type,” Sharon stated.

Tony cursed himself for not having put some sort of heart monitoring capability into his bug. He’d have loved to have seen Sam’s internal reaction as well as external.

“Well, she, um,” Sam stumbled over his words. “I just don’t think I’m really her type.”

Tony could have screamed. Pepper looked at him closely.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing,” he grumbled. “Nothing at all.”

“What are you up to, Tony?” Pepper narrowed her eyes.

“Good, nothing but good,” he promised.

He held up his fingers in what he thought might be the Boy Scout sign but it didn’t look as if Pepper was too convinced. But she turned back to watching the couples and the next two in line took their places with the bride and groom.

Tony watched as Sam followed Maria to the bar.

“Yes,” he said under his breath. “This might be easier than I imagined.”

“It won’t be if you keep talking to yourself,” Pepper chided.

Tony just looked at her and inched away so he could pay attention to what Sam was saying to Maria after they arrived at the bar.

“You look really lovely, Maria,” Sam said.

OK, not too bad, Tony thought.

“Thanks,” Maria replied.

Sam seemed to hesitate as Maria ordered her drink.

“Um, so, what have you been up to lately?” he asked.

Tony let out a frustrated sigh, it was loud enough for Pepper to take notice and give him a chastising look.

“Just work, you know, the usual,” Maria said. “How about you?”

Tony’s shoulders sagged. Maybe he should take a cue from Rogers and write these idiots a script.

He felt a jab in his side and realized he was up next to dance with Sharon.

He smiled at who he thought might be his new best friend.

“So, I had no idea you shipped Hillson,” he told her, not bothering with the pleasantries.

“Who?” Sharon asked.

“Maria and Sam,” Tony said. “That’s their shipping name.”

Sharon laughed.

“Heavens, that’s worlds better than mine and Steve’s,” she smiled and Tony realized for the first time since the engagement was announced that he really wanted Pepper to be this happy.

“But you think they are perfect for each other, right?” he asked.

“I think they would be a good couple,” she admitted. “If Maria can work past her reticence.”

“Well, Pepper seems to think she has good reason,” Tony said.

“You don’t?”

“No,” he said. “I think she’s just afraid and a little too self-loathing.”

“She does still blame herself for Sam’s poisoning,” Sharon reminded him.

“Yeah, but he doesn’t, and that should count for something,” Tony groused.

Sharon gave him a penetrating look.

“This is pretty important to you,” she said.

Tony nodded.

“I never pictured you as the cupid type,” Sharon said with a laugh.

“Yeah, well, I don’t usually,” he amitted. “Just in special circumstances.”

“What are you trying to do tonight?” she asked.

Tony played innocent.

“Nothing,” he claimed, but he was pretty sure Sharon suspected something.

“Then why do you have Sam bugged?” Sharon asked, then cocked an eyebrow.

Tony groaned and Sharon laughed at him again.

“Just don’t mess up around Maria,” she suggested. “Oh, and definitely don’t let Steve find out tonight.”

“You’re keeping secrets already?” Tony said as the dance ended.

“No, I’ll tell him later,” she assured him. “So you’ll still have to face the music.”

Tony waited another hour, until after the cake, before he saw an opportunity. Maria was sitting alone at her table so Tony excused himself from the conversation he was in with people he didn’t even know and walked over.

“I haven’t seen you dancing much this evening,” he said.

And he hadn’t, for good reason. Maria had her walls up high tonight. Despite how beautiful she looked, not many were brave enough to approach her, let alone ask her to dance. Her body language and the look on her face told in advance that she wasn’t interested.

“I’m not much for dancing,” she said.

Then she stood and appeared to be preparing to leave.

“Well, I am and my date is pooped,” he complained. “You can dance with me.”

Maria cocked a questioning eyebrow at him.

“Is that an order, boss?” she put as much sarcasm into that last word as her voice could carry.

“No,” he sighed. “It’s me, begging.”

“I didn’t realize you liked dancing so much,” she smirked, but she agreed to one dance.

They took the floor and Tony led her around. He was certain she suspected he was up to something, Maria was too intuitive not to know. Add to that brains and drop-dead gorgeous looks, she really should already have a boyfriend. But, if she wasn’t willing to put in the effort to meet someone, Tony was more than happy to do it for her.

He waited a full minute before he maneuvered them near Sam and his girlfriend. Then, when he thought Maria might least expect him to do anything rash, he announced a partner change and dropped Maria’s hand to take Sam’s girlfriend away from him and rush her across the floor.

For her part, the girlfriend didn’t really seem to mind. It was apparently just something more to giggle about, or, more precise, to Tweet about. Tony was trying to listen to Sam’s and Maria’s conversation over the girlfriend’s excitement. Sam told Maria how nice it was to dance with her and Maria informed him that Tony had most likely bugged one of them.

“Why?” Sam asked. “Isn’t that a little odd?”

“It’s Stark,” Maria deadpanned. “Of course, it’s odd. Odd is normal to him.”

“But why would he bug one of us?” Sam asked again.

“Because he wants to see how we feel about each other,” she sighed.

There was silence between the two before Sam spoke, his voice cautious.

“And how do we feel about each other?”

Tony craned his neck to try to get a look at Maria’s face. He really wanted to see her reaction. He should have wired the whole room with cameras.

“I think we are friends,” Maria stated, her voice a little too matter of fact for Tony’s taste.

Fortunately, Sam seemed to have caught onto what Tony was trying to do and for once didn’t back down.

“Is that enough?” he asked.

Tony watched as Maria slowed her steps briefly.

“I think it has to be,” she replied.

“Why?”

Tony was beside himself with anticipation and barely noticed that Sam’s date was now on the phone telling some friend that she was dancing with THE Tony Stark.

When Maria didn’t respond, Sam supplied an answer.

“This is still about the poisoning,” he said.

“Sam,” Maria tried to interrupt.

“I know it has to be because things were, well, nice before that,” he said softly.

Nice? Tony thought. That’s the best word he could come up with? No wonder Barnes is getting him dates.

“I can’t,” Maria said, then stopped and took a deep breath. “My life just never has been one that, well, I just don’t have time.”

She said it with a finality that told Tony she expected him, as much as Sam, to listen this time.

“Maybe you need to make some time,” Sam said. His voice wasn’t angry or even pleading.

“Sam, I,” Maria started, but something in her voice made Tony think that maybe she was finally giving way.

“Just think about it, OK?” Sam said. Then he leaned over and kissed her cheek. As he walked away, Tony stared, his mouth agape.

“Catching any flies?”

Tony jumped at Bucky’s voice behind him. Next to Steve’s old friend, Bucky's girlfriend was chatting with Sam’s date. Maybe squealing was a better description of the conversation.

Tony cringed.

“Really, Barnes,” he quipped. “Maybe you should get Steve or Sam to set you up for a change. They obviously have better taste in women.”

“Always the funny guy,” Bucky drawled.

“I thought I was trying to be serious this time,” Tony smirked, then was suddenly distracted by Maria again picking up her things to leave.

“Excuse me,” he told Bucky.

“Hey, Tony.” Bucky blocked his exit. “Maybe you should just leave her alone. Maybe there’s a good reason she keeps herself away from others.”

Tony glared at him.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tony snapped.

“I know more than you think I do,” Bucky replied. “Maria’s not destined for a nice life, not just quiet, but safe. Some of us aren’t and we can’t let people get close, because when they do, their proximity to us puts them in danger. Sometimes the kindest thing we can do is to keep those we love at arm’s length.”

Tony followed Bucky’s meaningful stare to a table where Darcy sat laughing at something Natasha had said.

When he turned back to Bucky, the man's look was dark and, if Tony was one to admit things like this, downright terrifying.

“Things are different for Maria now,” Tony told him. “She doesn’t work for SHIELD anymore.”

“That doesn’t make her life any safer,” Bucky responded. “You pretending it is, doesn’t change things, and it doesn’t change that she’s made her decision based on the facts she knows.”

Maria was nearly to the door now and Tony shook his head at Barnes as he walked quickly to try to catch her.

“Maria,” he yelled as he tried to get her to stop.

Her shoulders sagged in a sigh.

“Tony,” she said and turned to him. “You need to leave this alone.”

He shook his head.

“I can’t,” he joked. “You know what a busybody I am.”

His joke fell flat.

“Maria, I used to think I couldn’t be happy, that I didn’t deserve to be happy, but Pepper showed me I was wrong, that I could have this life and happiness,” he told her. He was sure he’d never been so honest and serious with someone before.

“I just want that for you,” he explained. “I know what it’s like to be alone. After everything you’ve done I just think you deserve to have a piece of what you’ve fought for others to have.”

Tony was surprised at the look on her face. He seemed to have tapped something, and for once he was determined not to mess it up by talking anymore.

There was a cacophony of giggling behind him and he cringed and turned to see Sam with his date and Bucky’s date. The look on Sam’s face was strained as he tried to pretend he thought whatever joke the girls had shared was as funny as they thought.

“Oh, and Sam definitely deserves far better than that,” Tony said and turned back to Maria. “If not for your sake, think of poor Wilson over there.”

Maria gave him a half smile, but it was tinged with sadness.

“Yes, he deserves better,” she agreed. “And he can do better.”

She turned and Tony watched her leave. He shook his head as he realized Maria was also including herself, not just Wilson’s date, in that statement.

Two hours later Tony sat alone at a table, drinking far more than he had planned, or was it for a different reason than he’d planned?

“Hey, I think it’s time to go.” Pepper walked up to him.

She had gone to see off the bride and groom.

“Are you happy with me?” he asked.

Pepper looked surprised at the question.

“Of course,” she told him.

“I’m not good enough to you,” he slurred. “You deserve to be treated better.”

“You’re fine, Tony,” she sighed and attempted to get him up on his feet.

“If I was, you’d be as happy as Sharon,” he replied.

Happy was walking toward them now, probably thinking he was going to half carry Tony to the car. Tony pushed out his chair and tried to stand.

“The room is spinning,” he exclaimed.

“Of course it is, Tony,” Pepper muttered.

Tony looked up sharply and cringed at the resignation on Pepper’s face. Hadn’t he just promised himself he’d start treating her better?

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I didn’t realize how much I’d been drinking.”

Happy knelt and Tony put an arm over his shoulder and allowed himself to be supported as he walked to the car. The press was still outside and snapping photos and hollering out questions.

“Public intoxication again, Stark?” Someone yelled out from the crowd and several started laughing.

Tony ignored them.

More questions from the press were shouted toward them but Tony was focused on getting to the car.

“Ms. Potts, is the rumor true that you are no longer living in Stark Tower?”

Tony’s ankle twisted and he stumbled.

“Are you really thinking of resigning as CEO of Stark Industries?”

Tony thought he might be sick and he looked around for some place to lose his dinner besides the front of his tuxedo.

“Come on, Tony,” Happy whispered. “Let’s get to the car. Ignore them, they’re just shouting rumors.”

But Tony realized that Pepper hadn’t answered.

He finally fell into the back of the limo and crawled over onto the seat. Pepper followed and sat quietly.

Tony watched her for several minutes. She looked tired, and not the tired that said she’d had a long, but good, day, it was the type that spoke of weariness.

“It’s not about the wedding,” he said.

She looked over at him.

“What?”

“The way you’ve been acting lately,” he told her. “It’s not about Steve and Sharon getting married.”

She sighed again.

“Just sleep, Tony,” she said, then she let out a long, slow breath. “Maybe it will keep you from getting sick.”

She turned back toward the window. Tony fought the knot that was forming in his stomach.

“I’ll go sit with Happy in front,” he said.

Her brow furrowed as she turned back to him.

“Why?”

“That way when I get sick I won’t get it on you this time,” he explained.

Her mouth formed a grim line in a failed attempt at a smile as she shook her head.

“It’s fine,” she replied.

Tony was, quite suddenly, extremely angry with himself. He recalled the way he felt when he’d thought Pepper had died, the things that had flashed through his mind, how he would have done things differently. But then things went back to a comfortable normal and Tony was too afraid to do any of the things he’d thought.

“Are you really leaving me?” he asked.

“What?” She jerked her head back to him. “No. That’s just people talking, rumors.”

“You should,” he told her, and he wasn't looking for sympathy this time.

“Tony, sleep,” she sighed.

“If I don’t do something about the way I’ve been treating you within the next month, if I don’t show you how much I appreciate you, you should leave me,” he informed her.

“Tony, you’re drunk,” was all she said before she folded her arms across her chest and sank down into the leather seat.

* * *

The next day, Tony woke at ten. He sought out Pepper and found her working in her office.

“If you don’t stop that, I’m going to fire you,” he joked as he leaned against the door jam.

Pepper looked up.

“You’re surprisingly chipper for someone who should have a terrible hangover,” she commented.

“Well, I do, but I’m going to suck it up and take you out today,” he explained.

“I thought you were going to work in the lab on your new suit?” she reminded him.

“I was, but then I realized that we don’t have any fun anymore and decided that we should, I don’t know, fly to Monaco, Rio, something,” he suggested.

“I have a board meeting at 9 tomorrow morning,” she told him.

Tony stuck out his bottom lip and Pepper chuckled.

“OK, how about a boat ride up the Hudson?”

“It’s 95 today, plus humidity,” she said. “No thank you.”

Tony sighed. Maybe if he’d actually planned something he’d know what to do. What did people do on dates?

“The Planetarium?” he asked.

Pepper looked up and Tony was pleased to see a soft smile on her face.

“OK.” She nodded and rose from her chair. “I’ll go change and we can get going.”

Tony gave her a huge grin, then a bigger kiss when she walked by.

“I’ll call Happy to bring the car around,” he said.

After he did so, he was heading toward the elevator when he looked down the hall toward Maria’s office. She would be working as well, he was sure. He texted Pepper to let her know he was going to ask Maria to join them if that was OK and walked down the hall as he waited for Pepper’s reply.

When he arrived at the office he was surprised to find it empty. It didn’t even look as if she’d been in the room recently. That surprised Tony. She usually worked every day. He didn’t feel comfortable going into it unasked so he called her cellphone and was further surprised when she didn’t answer. He tried again, then again. On the fourth try the phone was finally answered, but it wasn’t Maria’s voice on the other end.

“Maria Hill’s phone,” he heard Sam say. “She’s unavailable at the moment and don’t bother leaving a message because she plans on being unavailable for quite some time.”

Sam sounded a little winded, as if he was possibly running; in the background Tony could hear Maria quietly, but firmly, demanding Sam hand her phone over to her. Then the line was cut but not before he heard Sam reply.

“No way, baby, not happening.”

Tony felt a smile come to his face as he stared down the hallway. Pepper walked out of the elevator and down the hall toward him.

“I thought you were going to meet me downstairs,” she said as she walked back into her office.

“I was waiting for you to reply to my text,” he told.

“I left my phone in my desk,” she explained as she pulled the device out of the top drawer and looked at the text.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said. “I would have told you that Maria messaged me this morning that she’d be out all day. Something about having too much at the reception.”

“More like having something AFTER the reception,” Tony grinned as they entered the lift.

“What are you talking about?” Pepper asked warily.

“I just called her and _Sam_ answered her phone,” he said. “Told me that Maria would be unavailable for some time.”

Pepper stared at him and for a moment Tony thought she’d be angry with him for interfering again. Then a grin formed on her own face and she picked up her phone and entered a text. When she was finished, she turned the phone toward Tony and he read.

“As Stark CEO & president, I am telling you to take tomorrow off. Say ‘hi’ to Sam for me. :)”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I know Hillson is Maria/Phil, but I couldn't come up with anything better. If more people will start writing Maria/Sam stories, I'll think harder and come up with something. ;D
> 
> Also, you can infer Bucky with either Natasha or Darcy from this story. But I ship Clintasha. (Tell Joss Whedon I do what I want. :))


End file.
